Pet of the Month: Chavi of Atlanta, GA

Everyone meet a dog that is very near to my heart, Chavi.

Chavi and her big sister Chaya came into my life when I moved to the Atlanta area in late 2015.

But let's starts from the beginning shall we?

Here is what her mom says about her.

"Chavi was born in New Mexico in November 2009. She was either born on or dumped on a reservation there. A rescue brought her and her litter mates to Denver and I adopted her from the Dumb Friends League Shelter. She was a snow bear until we moved to Georgia in 2012. It was here that she met her nemesis the copperhead and we almost lost her to a nasty bite. Her favorite things are swimming, hiking, cleaning up kitty food off the floor, and sleeping. Her superpower is water discovery - she will find all of the swimming holes."

Chavi and her big sister Chaya met me and my boys, Duke & Roscoe in early 2016. The four became fast friends as they all had the same outlook on dog friends. They all liked each other, and they all liked their own space. The four dogs, their mom and I were the perfect pack. We spent every Tuesday going hiking together, letting the pups off leash, letting them run and splash and play as we hiked at our own speed alongside them.

Chavi was the most agile of the bunch, she would jump and dart and dash like a little mountain goat, until she plugged into the cool water and paddled smoothly along like a gator enjoying a swimy stroll.

Chavi and Roscoe always kept close to each other, they were both the younger of the pack and Roscoe was always running/prancing behind her to see what fun she was getting into. Chaya and Duke led the differently. Chaya herding from the front and the back, always making sure everyone was near, checking in with Duke, and Duke always the caboose, his big lumbery butt bringing in the rear.

Our favorite hiking spot was Red Top Mountain. It has a perfect four mile trail that runs along Lake Allatoona and gives the pack access to fresh water as well as rest on the beach whenever needed. My half of the pack moved a few short months later, but those hikes together felt like we'd been doing them our whole lives. Over the last several years we kept those hikes alive, and turned visits together into camping trips in the park, our pack rejoining each other like not a day had passed each time.

Dukey, as most of you know, passed in October of 2019. Chaya, passed in June of 2020. And of course, Roscoe in October 2020. Our pack in almost all back together up in doggy heaven or whatever amazing afterlife our babies go to. Lucky for us, Chavi is still with us.

She is still a shining bright soul, still jumping and darting and dashing on hikes regularly. Good girl Chavi, you beautiful girl you.